Question
Have a tree in the yard  but not sure what it is (not a typical oak, maple...poss. a fruitless, weeping mulberry?) The shape is that of an open umbrella. On the branches is a white, powdery sub. that rubs off and leaves the hand sticky. I have photos of tree and powder but have no idea how to proceed.uggestions?

Answer
Michael:
One option for you to think about is snipping off one of these twigs with the white stuff and carrying a small piece into your local garden center/nursery for an ID of the critter and the tree.  Your description sounds like some sort of insect- maybe scale or aphids. The tree may be a weeping mulberry. Once you get it ID'd, then you can select the most appropriate materials to use.  Of course if the tree is large, this may limit your reach to spraying. Often, there are a lot of insect predators that eat other insects to keep their populations down.

Regards
Steve